Maternal nutritional restriction during late gestation impairs development of the reproductive organs in both male and female lambs

VITALE, S.; PARDO, M.F.; BAGNIS, G.; BORETTO, E.; VIDAL, G.; HOFFMAN, F.; GARCIA, F.; GONZALEZ, V.; RABAGLINO, M.B.; FLORES, M.F.; QUEIROZ, O.C.M.

THERIOGENOLOGY

ELSEVIER SCIENCE INC

Año: 2018 vol. 108 p. 331 - 338

0093-691X

Maternal nutritional restrictions during late gestation could lead to fetal hypoglycemia. Glucose levels in the fetal sheep regulate circulating insulin-like growth factor 1 (IGF1) levels, which stimulate cell proliferation and differentiation of reproductive organs after binding to its own receptor or estrogen receptors. The objective of this study was to determine the effects of subnutrition of ewes during the last trimester of gestation on the serum glucose/IGF1 levels and development of reproductive organs in their lambs. Pregnant ewes carrying singletons were randomly assigned to restricted (R ewes, n = 8) or control (C ewes, n = 8) groups (4 lambs of each gender/group) and fed with 50% or 100% of metabolic energy requirements from ∼100 days of gestation to term (∼147 days), respectively. Blood samples from lambs were taken on the first day after born and once at week for serum glucose and IGF1 determination. Lambs were euthanatized at 2 months of age, reproductive organs were weighted and tissue samples were collected from them for histology and to measure mRNA expression of IGF1 and its receptor (IGF1R) by qRT-PCR. Pre-partum glucose levels in R ewes were significantly lower compared to C ewes (p